Saturday morning

The heron wasn't at the pond this morning. I'm not sure what that means. Perhaps I missed her, although Jessie and I walked by the pond several times and also made our very soggy way around it entirely. No heron. Perhaps the heron I saw before was not "my" heron, but another one just passing through. Perhaps it was "my" heron but she has decided that our pond is no longer a good place. Too soon to tell. Perhaps I just missed her; that seems the most likely.

Of course many Mallard couples were out and about. And one Canada goose landed on the pond and, paddling in a small circle, called out slowly and loudly over and over "Honk! Honk! Honk!" Punctuated by rapid calls: "Honk-Honk-Honk-Honk-Honk!!!" As if he (or she - they seem to look alike) were shouting: "Hey! Where is everyone? Where are you? Where are you? Where are you?" I actually called out to him/her: "Calm down! They're around; they'll be back." It didn't seem to comfort him/her.

I saw what I think was the same red winged blackbird again; heard him first, saw him in the same tree again, its round branches now almost covered with small spring leaves, hanging down in a rounded hump looking like green dreadlocks. I also saw a pair of hawks, still not entirely sure what kind - probably either red tailed hawks (which are common around here) or red shouldered hawks. It appears they may have made a nest in our park. That would be neat. And then many many other birds, calling, singing. No muskrat this morning. We probably got there too late (7:00 am this morning). Maybe I'll be able to get up earlier tomorrow and see who's around just as the sun peeks over the horizon. That would be good.

This past week was a good week for me; I felt better every day. This despite daily doses of matzo (or even perhaps because of them?). I did go to the community seder at my synagogue on Tuesday night It was difficult for me mostly because it didn't start until 8 pm which is close to my normal bedtime. We didn't start eating until 9:45. My friend D kindly left "early" (11:15 pm) to bring me home. I guess I got to bed by midnight. It took me 3 nights, counting that one, of sleep to get back to feeling normal.

Yesterday I called in the LAST refills on my prescriptions for Emend (the $100/pill anti-nausea drug) and Decadron (steroid) to get me through the last chemo, which is next Wed., April 7th. I do want the chemo to be over with, but I'm still not rushing to go through it either. And the CT scan with its requirement to imbibe that nasty (mocha - yum - yuck) barium cocktail sits there just a couple of weeks later, hanging over post-treatment emotions like a big black cloud.

But today is beautiful. The sun shines, promises to warm the day and maybe the heart, too. The still spongy ground is absorbing the incredible amount of rain we had and brittle brown grass is greening. The trees must be drunk on all that rain, and are bursting out leaves everywhere. The bird crowd certainly seems celebratory. Hey, why not?

Peace.